Essential Elements for Language Arts 10 th Grade: Literary Elements 1 Allegory A story in which people, things, and actions represent an idea or generalization about life; it can be read on one level for its literal meaning and on a second level for its symbolic meaning which often includes a strong moral or lesson. 2 Alliteration The repetition of initial consonant sounds in words that are close together. 3 Allusion A literary reference to a familiar person, place, thing, or event from history, literature, religion, politics, sports, science, or some other branch of culture. 4 Assonance The repetition of similar vowel sounds followed by different consonant sounds, esp. in words close together. 5 Analogy A comparison of two or more similar objects to show how they are alike. 6 Anecdote A short summary of a humorous event used to make a point. 7 Antagonist The opponent (person or thing) who struggles against or blocks the protagonist, or hero, of the story. 8 Aphorism aka. Epigram A brief, witty, cleverly worded statement or poem that makes a wise observation about life; often dealing with its subject in a satirical manner. 9 Autobiography An account of the writer s own life. 10 Biography An account of someone s life written by another person. 11 Blank verse iambic pentameter An unrhymed form of poetry -- each line normally consists of 10 syllables in which every other syllable is stressed. 12 Characterization The method or process an author uses to reveal the personality of a character. 13 Climax That point in a plot that creates the greatest intensity, suspense, or interest. 14 Comedy Literature in which human errors or problems appear funny In general, a story that ends with a happy resolution of the conflicts faced by the main character(s). 15 Conflict The struggle or problem between opposing forces or characters in a story.
16 Conflict: Person vs. Person 17 Conflict: Person vs. Society 18 Conflict: Person vs. Self or Internal conflict 19 Conflict: Person vs. Nature One character in a story has a problem with one or more of the other characters. A character has a problem with some element of society: the school, the law, the accepted way of doing things. A character has a problem deciding what to do in a certain situation. The struggle or opposing forces are within a person s mind. A character has a problem with elemental forces: heat, cold, a tornado, an avalanche, or any other element of nature. 20 Conflict: Person vs. Fate (God) A character must battle what seems to be an uncontrollable problem. Whenever the conflict is an unbelievable or strange coincidence, it can be attributed to this. 21 Consonance The repetition of the same or similar final consonant sounds on accented syllables or in important words. 22. Couplet Two consecutive rhyming lines of poetry. 23 Denouement The final resolution or outcome of a play or story. At this point all the mysteries are unraveled, the conflicts are resolved, and the questions are answered. 24. Diction An author s choice of words based on their correctness, clearness, or effectiveness depending on the writer s subject, purpose, and audience. 25. Diction: Colloquialism 26 Diction: Jargon An expression that is usually accepted in informal situations and certain locations, as in He really grinds my beans. The specialized language used by a specific group: teachers, doctors, computer technicians, etc. Technical diction. 27 Didactic Literature that instructs or presents a moral or religious statement. 28 Drama The form of literature known as a play; also refers to the type of serious play that is often concerned with the leading character s relationship to society. 29 Epic A long narrative poem, written in heightened language, that tells of the deeds and adventures of a heroic character who embodies the values of a particular society. 30 Epiphany A sudden perception (moment of understanding) that causes a character to change or act in a certain way.
31 Epitaph A short poem or verse written in memory of someone. 32 Exposition Writing intended to explain something that might otherwise be difficult to understand; as a part of plot, it is beginning background information on the characters, the setting, and the conflicts. 33 Falling action The part of the plot after the turning point that leads to the final resolution of the conflict. 34 Figure of Speech: Antithesis A figure of speech that states an opposition, or contrast, of ideas: it was the best of times, it was the worst of times... --Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities 35 Figure of Speech: Hyperbole 36 Figure of Speech: Metaphor A figure of speech that uses an incredible exaggeration or overstatement for effect: I have seen this river so wide it had only one bank. Mark Twain, Life on the Mississippi A figure of speech that makes a comparison of two unlike things in which no word of comparison (as, like, than, or resembles) is used: A green plant is a machine that runs on solar energy. -- Scientific American 37 Figure of Speech: Metonymy 38 Figure of Speech: Synecdoche 39 Figure of Speech: Personification 40 Figure of Speech: Simile A figure of speech in which a person, place, or thing is referred to by something closely associated with it. The related word is substituted for the actual word: The White House has decided to create more public service jobs. (White House is substituted for president) A figure of speech in which a part of a person, place, or thing is used to represent the whole. Washington and Tehran are both claiming victory. A figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, attitudes, or other human characteristics: The rock stubbornly refused to move. A figure of speech that makes an explicit comparison between two unlike things, using a word such as like, as, than, or resembles. She stood in front of the altar, shaking like a freshly caught trout. Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
41 Figure of Speech: Understatement A figure of speech that is a way of emphasizing an idea by talking about it in a restrained manner; the statement says less than what is meant: Aunt Polly is prejudiced against snakes. (She was terrified of them.) Mark Twain, Adventures of Tom Sawyer 42 Flashback A scene that interrupts the normal chronological sequence of events in a story to depict something that happened at an earlier time. 43 Foil A character who serves as a contrast or challenge to another character. 44 Free verse Poetry that does not conform to a regular meter or rhyme scheme. 45 Genre Refers to a category or type of literature based on its style, form and content; the mystery novel is a literary. 46 Gothic novel A type of fiction that is characterized by gloomy castles, ghosts, and supernatural happenings creating a mysterious and sometimes frightening story -- Bram Stoker s Dracula is probably the best known novel of this type still popular today. 47 Imagery The use of language to create a certain picture in the reader s mind of a person, a thing, a place, or an experience; is usually based on sensory details: The sky was dark and gloomy, the air was damp and raw, the streets were wet and sloppy. Charles Dickens, The Pickwick Papers 48 Irony In general, a discrepancy between appearances and reality. 49 Irony: dramatic The type of irony when the audience sees a character s mistakes, but the character does not. The character thinks one thing is true, but the reader knows better. 50 Irony: verbal The type of irony when someone says one thing, but really means something else: the best substitute for experience is being thirteen 51 Irony: situational The type of irony when there is a discrepancy (difference) between what is expected to happen, or what would be appropriate to happen, and what really does happen. 52 Local color The use of language and details that are common in a certain region of the country: Mama came out and lit into me for sitting there doing nothing. Said I was no-count and shiftless... --Olive Ann Burns, Cold Sassy Tree
53 Lyric poem A poem that does not tell a story but expresses the personal feelings or thoughts of a speaker. 54 Melodrama An exaggerated form of drama (as in television soap operas) characterized by heavy use of romance, suspense, and emotion. 55 Memoir A story based on the writer s memory of a particular time, place, or incident. 56 Mood The feeling a text arouses in the reader: happiness, peacefulness, sadness, and so on 57 Moral The particular value or lesson the author is trying to get across to the reader. 58 Myth A traditional story that is basically religious in nature and that usually serves to explain a belief, ritual or mysterious natural phenomenon. 59 Narrative The mode of writing that relates an event or series of events: used in all kinds of literature: fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. 60 Narrator The person who is telling the story. 61 Naturalism A nineteenth-century literary movement that was an extreme form of realism in which the author tries to show the relation of a person to the environment or surroundings; often, the author finds it necessary to show the ugly or raw side of that relationship. 62 Novel A lengthy, fictional story with a plot that is revealed by the speech, actions, and thoughts of the characters. 63 Novella A prose work longer than the standard short story, but shorter and less complex than a full-length novel. 64 Onomatopoeia The use of a word whose sound imitates or suggests its meaning, as in clang, buzz, and twang 65 Oxymoron A figure of speech that combines opposite or contradictory terms in a brief phrase: jumbo shrimp, tough love, or cruel kindness 66 Parable A short descriptive story that teaches a moral, or lesson, about how to lead a good life.
67 Paradox A statement that seems contrary to common sense, yet may, in fact, be true; it appears self-contradictory but reveals a kind of truth and expresses the complexity of life. 68 Parody A form of literature that intentionally uses comic effect by imitating (mocking) some aspect of a literary work or style. 69 Picaresque novel A work of fiction consisting of a lengthy string of loosely connected events; it usually features the adventures of a rogue living by his or her wits. 70. Plot The series of related events in a story or play, sometimes called the story line. 71 Point of view The vantage point from which the writer tells a story. 72 Point of view: First- Person 73 Point of View: Omniscient 74 Point of View: Objective 75 Point of View: Third-person Limited The point of view when one of the characters in the story tells the story using pronouns such as I and we. The reader knows only what the narrator knows. The point of view when the narrator is all-knowing and tells the story with third-person pronouns. Allows the narrator to share the thoughts and feelings of all the characters. The point of view when a narrator is totally impersonal and factual and tells the story with no comment on any characters or events. It is like a movie camera in that the reader knows only what the camera might see. The point of view when an unknown narrator tells the story, but the author zooms in to focus on the thoughts and feelings of only one character. Does not use first-person pronouns. 76 Protagonist The main character of the story; the one who initiates or drives the action. 77 Realism A style of writing, developed in the nineteenth century, that attempts to depict life as it really is without idealizing or romanticizing it. 78 Renaissance Means rebirth; is the period of history following the Middle Ages, beginning in the late fourteenth century and continuing through the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. 79 Resolution Also known as denouement, the portion of the play or story in which the problem is solved; it comes after the climax and falling action and is intended to bring the story to a satisfactory end.
80 Rhyme The similarity or likeness of sound existing between two words: sat and cat are perfect rhymes because the vowel and final consonant sounds are exactly the same. 81 Rhyme: End The type of rhyme existing between two rhyming words placed as the last words on lines of poetry. 82 Rhyme: Internal The type of rhyme existing when rhyming words are within the same line of poetry. 83 Rhythm The regular or random occurrence of stressed and unstressed syllables in language; a regular beat is called meter; random occurrence of sound is called free verse. 84 Rising action The series of struggles that builds a story or play toward the turning point. 85 Romanticism A literary movement beginning in the late eighteenth century characterized by: an idealization of rural life and the wilderness; an interest in the past and the supernatural; a conviction that the natural world contains truth; that the imagination and emotions are superior to reason, and poetry is superior to science. 86 Sarcasm The use of praise to mock someone or something, as in She s a real winner. 87 Satire A literary tone used to ridicule human shortcomings or institutions, often with the intent of changing the subject of the attack. Can range from gentle spoofing to savage mockery. 88 Setting The time and location in which the action of a literary work occurs. 89 Short story A brief fictional work; it usually contains one major conflict and one main character. 90 Slice of life A story which has no traditional plot line and often an open ending. It tries to depict the everyday life of ordinary people. A term that describes the type of realistic or naturalistic writing that accurately reflects what life is really like. 91 Sonnet A fourteen-line poem, usually written in iambic pentameter, that has one of two basic structures: the Petrarchan or the Italian. 92 Stereotype A fixed idea or conception of a character or an idea that does not allow for any individuality, and is often based on religious, social, or racial prejudices.
93 Stream of consciousness A style of writing in which the thoughts and feelings of the writer are recorded as they occur. Records the random flow of ideas, memories, associations, images, and emotions, as they arise in a character s mind. 94 Style How the author uses words, phrases, and sentences to form ideas; this term is also thought of as the qualities and characteristics that distinguish one writer s work from the work of others determined by such factors as sentence length and complexity, use of figurative language and imagery, and diction. 95 Symbol A person, a place, a thing, or an event used to represent something else: dove/peace; white/good, two snakes on a staff/ medicine; journey/search for truth 96 Theme The insight about life that is revealed in a literary work; in most cases this will be inferred after considerable thought rather than directly spelled out. 97 Tone The overall feeling, or attitude, created by a writer s use of words toward the subject of a work, the characters in it, or the audience. It can be described in a single word: objective, solemn, playful, ironic, philosophical, and so on. 98 Tragedy A literary work in which a heroic character either dies or comes to some other unhappy end. 99 Tragic hero A character in an enviable, even exalted position whose downfall or death occurs because of some combination of fate, an error in judgment, or a personality failure. This character usually gains wisdom at the end of the story. 100 Transcendentalism A nineteenth-century movement in the Romantic tradition, which held that every individual can reach ultimate truths through spiritual intuition, which is superior to reason and sensory experience. Its basic tenets were: a belief that God is present in Nature; that everyone can apprehend God through intuition; that all of Nature is symbolic of the spirit; and that the world is good and evil is nonexistent.